How common it is
嘴巴 appears often in everyday Chinese, so it is worth practicing early and reviewing often.
Pronunciation focus
Say zuǐ ba slowly first, then repeat it in a short phrase. Listen for the tone shape.
Usage note
嘴巴是脸上用来吃饭和说话的部分。我们要保持嘴巴干净，说话要有礼貌。
Zuǐba shì liǎn shang yòng lái chīfàn hé shuōhuà de bùfen. Wǒmen yào bǎochí zuǐba gānjìng, shuōhuà yào yǒu lǐmào.
Mouth is the part of the face used for eating and speaking. We should keep our mouth clean and speak politely.
Context note
每天刷牙可以保护嘴巴健康。吃饭时，嘴巴要慢慢嚼，不要说话。
Měitiān shuāyá kěyǐ bǎohù zuǐba jiànkāng. Chīfàn shí, zuǐba yào mànmàn jiáo, bù yào shuōhuà.
Brushing teeth every day protects mouth health. When eating, chew slowly with your mouth and don't talk.
5 examples
小朋友要记得闭上嘴巴刷牙。
xiǎo péng yǒu yào jì de bì shàng zuǐ ba shuā yá。
Children should remember to close their mouth when brushing teeth.
他的嘴巴里有一颗蛀牙。
tā de zuǐ ba lǐ yǒu yì kē zhù yá。
He has a cavity in his mouth.
吃饭时不要张大嘴巴说话。
chī fàn shí bú yào zhāng dà zuǐ ba shuō huà。
Don't open your mouth wide to talk while eating.
妹妹的嘴巴很甜，总是说好听的话。
mèi mei de zuǐ ba hěn tián， zǒng shì shuō hǎo tīng de huà。
Little sister has a sweet mouth; she always says nice things.
老师让我们用嘴巴大声读书。
lǎo shī ràng wǒ men yòng zuǐ ba dà shēng dú shū。
The teacher told us to read aloud with our mouth.
5 mini stories
小明早上用嘴巴刷牙。他刷得很干净。
xiǎo míng zǎo shàng yòng zuǐ ba shuā yá。 tā shuā dé hěn gān jìng。
Xiao Ming brushed his teeth with his mouth in the morning. He brushed very clean.
小红吃饭时嘴巴里塞满了食物。妈妈说慢慢吃。
xiǎo hóng chī fàn shí zuǐ ba lǐ sāi mǎn le shí wù。 mā ma shuō màn màn chī。
Xiao Hong's mouth was full of food while eating. Mom said to eat slowly.
小华用嘴巴吹气球。气球变得很大。
xiǎo huá yòng zuǐ ba chuī qì qiú。 qì qiú biàn de hěn dà。
Xiao Hua blew up a balloon with his mouth. The balloon became very big.
老师教我们闭上嘴巴安静听讲。大家都很乖。
lǎo shī jiào wǒ men bì shàng zuǐ ba ān jìng tīng jiǎng。 dà jiā dōu hěn guāi。
The teacher taught us to close our mouth and listen quietly. Everyone was well-behaved.
弟弟的嘴巴上沾了巧克力。他开心地笑了。
dì di de zuǐ ba shàng zhān le qiǎo kè lì。 tā kāi xīn dì xiào le。
Little brother had chocolate on his mouth. He smiled happily.